Cactus Recipes

When strolling through the gardenIf you should chance to seeA ladybug out walking,Please say "hi" for me!For ladybugs are good bugs,They help the garden growThey will bring you good luck,So always say "hello"

This is why we call these 'Artisan-Grown' edible nopal cactus pads.Just before we start the larger commercial harvests we cut the grasses growing around the plants over the winter. The grasses from the rows are cut and laid in among the cactus plants in order to shade the soil. The grasses from the pathways are also cut and placed gently around the cactus.This has several benefits"1. Removal of the grasses will open the plants to the warming affects of the sun. This will stimulate the summer growth and formation of new cladodes (cactus pads, edible cactus leaves, nopales).2. The cut grasses will help shade the soil, reducing temperature spikes and helping keep the cactus roots cool and conserving moisture. If the roots don't cook, the plant can take more sunshine and heat and grow faster.3. As the year goes on the leaves and the straw from the grass stems will slowly decompose into the soil, adding to the biosphere of the soil zone.

Cutting by hand is more challenging. A mechanical string trimmer is faster, but the grasses are chopped up and fly everywhere, including damaging the growing cactus.

If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right.And this cactus is worth growing for our customers.And I will grow it right, and leave this soil richer and deeper than when I got here.

Yes, there are hundreds of cactus plants in these images... mostly hidden by the tall winter grass that we use as a living mulch.The grass is almost three feet tall now.It shields the soft soil from the pounding rain.It holds the soil together and open....it sucks up excess moisture....after it seeds we cut it, and it forms a protective mulch over the soil, shading it from the sun and eventually rotting into the soil to add to the high humus levels that keep the biological engine of the soil steaming along.

We have added our organic certifications to our newly redesigned website to the page http://rivenrock-gardens.myshopify.com/pages/our-organic-certs

Organic certification is important as it does give some verification of standards and practices. Another important consideration is the integrity and standards of the grower themselves, this is implemented through personal knowledge. This is also part of the reason for this blog, so YOU, the customer and potential customer know what Rivenrock Gardens stands for, what Rivenrock Gardens says they do, and what Rivenrock Gardens does.